Seattle, WA – Glassworks, the Northwest’s premier art glass fabricator, is pleased to announce the completion of their studio expansion. Designed to house a new kiln that can fabricate glass artworks up to 13 feet in length, the new space was built with help of Riehl Construction Services and RH Projects. The idea for the expansion grew from a number of business and creative needs. “Traditional kitchen countertops are always 12-feet,” says Glassworks owner, Tish Oye. “We needed an oven that could handle that length and the only way we could accomplish that was to build a space big enough to house a kiln that size.”

A large, expansive industrial space, the new addition boasts skylights to bring in natural light, roll up doors for easy access, and plenty of room for the creative and technical team to grow. Connected to the original Glassworks site, the new expansion adds 1,000 sq. ft. of workspace to the ever-growing company.

The larger kiln will support standard countertops but it also makes it possible for the company to fire multiple smaller items at the same time. “Kiln firing is an art,” says Oye. “With the larger kiln we can fire more smaller items at one time and that will result in product consistency throughout a project.” It also contributes significant energy savings. “The lion share of energy used in the firing process is the ramp time – the time it takes to heat up the kiln. If we have more pieces firing at once, we can streamline ramp times throughout production.”

Steve Shahbaghlian demonstrates the new kiln to a group of onlookers.

Punta Mita, Mexico – While some people only dream about sailing the seas on a glass boat, Glassworks of Seattle, WA actually built one. Part of the redesign of the upscale Four Seasons Resort on the azure shores of Punta Mita, Mexico, the Glassworks ship is the centerpiece and working bar for the updated luxury resort. A collective effort by designer Owen Adam and Glassworks master glassman, Steve Shahbaghlian, the stunning outdoor bar incorporates vertical panels of handcrafted deep green glass. Designed to reflect the colors and fluid shapes of the breaking waves of the nearby shore, the transparent boat works both as a functional bar for Four Seasons Resort staff and as a dramatic visual icon for visiting guests.

“The bar had to be as sturdy as it was beautiful,” says Glassworks principal, Tish Oye. To reach that goal, the Glassworks team used more than 4,000 pounds of glass and created twenty-two individual glass panels that measure 28″ x 36″ and are 2.5″ thick. Each piece had to be designed, fabricated and mitered. “We had to make sure everything fit properly,” continues Oye. “It was a bit like building a bar out of Lego, only the pieces were massive green glass waves.” To achieve this architectural and technical feat, the Glassworks staff numbered each panel and did a trial run installation before the bar even left the Glassworks studio.

Once the team knew the bar would fit together seamlessly, the “boat” was shipped to its new home in Mexico. From there, each piece was carefully tucked into the large metal, 24-foot frame designed to support the bar and glass countertop. Lit from the inside out to showcase the beauty and detail of the glass fabrication, the bar looks exactly like a boat floating carelessly on a sea of green glass waves. To round out the boat theme, the Four Seasons Resort asked Glassworks to construct triangular directional signs to set throughout the property and point guests the way to the bar. Carved with the beautiful Bahía logo and backlit to reflect the bar’s construction, the directional signage complements the glass boat’s beauty, elegance, and good taste.